By Jahangir Alam Akash, Apology and withdraw is not enough for press freedom. Our clear demand is that, government should give punish immediately to the perpetrator those who are involved with journalists killings and torture. At the same time extra judicial killings should be stop for the greater interest of democracy and rule of law.

Government and RAB were apologized for recent incident of journalist Masum tortured as well as government was withdrawn to the responsible officer of RAB who was the perpetrator of Masum.

Please see the report of Human Rights Today. Info
http://www.humanrightstoday.info/?p=1347 Another journalist was brutally tortured by so-called elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Bangladesh. Tortured journalist F M Masum is now under treatment in a private hospital in the capital city of Dhaka. Before this he had admitted in the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Now he is not hearing in by his left ear after tortured. Journalist Masum is a staff reporter for the nationwide English daily New Age. He was tortured on 22nd October in his house in Dhaka.

Different media and human rights organizations demanded to judicial enquiry about the torturing of journalist Masum. After every incidents of journalist torture like Masum's case, the journalists and human rights organization were given their statement just for condemn and demanding to investigate same language.

But, we think only condemning and demanding for investigation is not enough. For stopping the torture should need exemplary punishment those who are responsible for every incident.

The BNP's Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain also condemned the torture on journalist Masum and demanded legal action against the personnel involved in the incident. It is very funny because their government (BNP-Jammat alliance) was discovering the so-called elite force RAB. RAB activities are totally inhuman and unlawful. But, our blind media has always covering false statement giving by RAB and police regarding so-called crossfire killings without investigation. So, RAB know that the journalists always publishing false report about their illegal operations. That is why RAB getting courage to torture to the journalists. At least 5o journalists were tortured by RAB since 2004.

This is not a new history of brutal torture by RAB. RAB was also illegally arrested inhumanly tortured with electric shocked and detained to the Editor of the Human Rights Today. Info in 2007. Please watch these links about the RAB torture on the editor of the Human Rights Today.Info http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xzaCRYCkqs (BIHR part-1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BthGnl-WEGo (BIHR part-2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnyyJHp3ET0 (BIHR part-3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1G8BUvZ_mc (Unbearable time)

Background of journalist Masum tortured: According to the report of New Age, the Rapid Action Battalion on 22nd October, 2009 had tortured severely New Age staff correspondent FM Masum keeping him in detention at the RAB 10 headquarters at Dhalpur in Dhaka for about 10 hours and a half.

The battalion men picked Masum up from his rented house at Jatrabari in Dhaka at noon and severely tortured him in public. Masum was, however, released about 10:30pm reportedly after repeated interventions of the home minister and the home secretary, and he needed to be rushed in to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

According to Masum and spot accounts, a battalion team raided the house at 67, Dakshin Jatrabai, where Masum lives as a tenant, at noon for alleged involvement of the landlord in drug peddling. The battalion personnel also knocked on the door of Masum's flat. As soon as Masum opened the door, the battalion personnel slapped him, accusing him of being late in opening the door.

They started torturing Masum severely as he told them of his identity, according to spot accounts. Torturing him in public on the spot, the battalion men rubbed salt in the wounds and took him to the RAB 10 headquarters at Dhalpur. 'At the RAB office, they tortured me inhumanly saying, “We are taking our anger at Nurul Kabir [New Age editor] out on you”,' Masum said in the hospital. Soon after Masum's detention, different battalion officers came up with different stories as reason for the detention. Some of them claimed Masum was found in possession of Pethedine, some said with Phensidyl (codeine) syrup while some others said they found him with prostitutes.

The battalion, when Masum was released, finally said they had picked him up for not cooperating with the law enforcement agency. The battalion reportedly requested several media houses not to run or print any report on the incident.

The battalion released Masum after the New Age people had to sign an undertaking in which it was written that he had been picked up and was being handed over to his colleagues 'in good health.'

He had marks of injury all over the body and his feet were swollen when he was released. Physicians in Dhaka Medical College Hospital advised a CT scan, which was later done.

The New Age people were earlier asked to sign an undertaking in which it was said that Masum had been involved in trading in drugs for long, but his colleagues refused to sign it. Masum also said the battalion personnel had videoed arranged sequences of seizure of drug substances from his room. He was also videoed along with the wife of the owner of the house, he said.

The home minister, Sahara Khatun, the home secretary, Abdus Sobhan Sikder, and the battalion's director general Hasan Mahmud Khandakar about 6:00pm told New Age that Masum would be released.

Masum, who received his master's degree in mass communication and journalism department in Dhaka University, earlier worked with the Bangladesh Today before joining New Age. He is an alumnus of the Barisal Cadet College. Continued    Source: Jahangir Akash